I hope this evening finds ya’ll doing well. I hope ya’ll are happy and healthy today, as the craziness continues!
Sitting here at work this evening during some ‘down time’ we’re having at the Fire Station. It’s Thursday, which really means absolutely nothing here at work. We like to think certain days mean we are either going to be busy or slow. It’s about like telling the Good LORD your plans, and He just sits back and giggles. It was YARD DAY today! Yard Day means just as it suggests, we cut the grass and made the yard look purdy! It wasn’t 98 degrees this morning, but I think the humidity was at 98 percent! That is a good combination to spark a second shower for the morning.
For those that know me pretty well, know that I have worked in the Fire Service for a few years now, and I love, love, love my job!
For those that do not know me, YET, I went through a marriage break-up (a nicer way to say D-I-V-O-R-C-E) some years ago. At that time, my office job situation was changing fast, so I started looking for something different, something I would Enjoy getting up and going to everyday. I’ve always been an outdoor person (you probably figured that out from my prior posts), and hated being cooped up in an office day in and day out. So, I joined a Volunteer Fire Department program in 2001.
I’ve always had a huge respect for Firefighters, EMT’s and Paramedics, so I wanted to get involved to see if it was a possible path I might decide to follow. It was! I was so Blessed to have been led to this particular Department through a series of events that landed me here. I was pointed in this direction, had my first contact in the Department who ended up being one of the biggest influences on my Career.
So, in 2004, I applied and tested to be a full-time Career Firefighter with the department, and out of 750+ candidates that applied, I was one of the 10, yes, TEN that was hired! I began my Rookie Class and intensive 12-week training to get me ready to ride ‘on-shift’ with the seasoned guys that knew their stuff!
I was a Firefighter for 13 years, and after testing twice to be a Driver/Operator, I passed and was chosen for a position. I am the Department’s first EVER Female Driver. In our department, Driver’s tend to get to that position and stay….for years and years! Best position on the department and one of the hardest to get! I was promoted and have been Driving for almost 3-years now. I drive a 38′ E-One Quint with a 85′ Aerial ladder on top. And I take my job VERY seriously!
Our trucks are not the traditional Red trucks that everyone expects to see running up and down the roads, but Lime Green. We tell all the kids we picked them before they got ripe! They get a kick outta that. Why Lime Green you ask?? Well, I’ll tell you! Lime green is one of the ‘Safest’ colors for us when we are out on the city streets, especially at night. It is one of the easiest colors for the human eye to pick up on in the dark! So the thought behind it is simply, SAFETY! In this day and age, with so many driving around distracted, the color is one more factor that helps keep us safe.
So, a little summary of our department. We are a small suburb of Memphis, a nice family-oriented community that prides itself on it’s citizens. We have our own Ambulance service that runs out of each Fire Station. We have five stations in the city, and all have their own Ambulance. We are all cross-trained to either Fire fight or ride the Ambulance and work EMS, which makes for a lot of convenience. We have some of the Best Paramedics and EMT’s in the area. If you call the Ambulance, you will see a Fire Truck typically show up with them. Because of our cross-training, extra hands are always helpful, especially if it’s a bad call.
Each Ambulance has two crew members; at least one Paramedic (in some cases, two) and one EMT. Each Truck or Pumper crew consists of at LEAST, a Lieutenant (the guy in charge), one Driver (Me!; better known as the Lieutenant’s second set of eyes and ears and his/hers left arm), and a Firefighter (or if we’re lucky, two Firefighters)!
Some of you have heard, we as Firefighters, are a special breed; half crazy, a de-ranged sense of humor, and hearts as big as the moon! I made that last one up just now, but it is oh so true of these folks I work with. Any one of these folks would drop everything and help someone in a blink of an eye. The de-ranged sense of humor probably comes as a way we deal with (or coping mechanisms) for some of the stuff that we see on a daily/weekly basis. We rely heavily on each other for support, as family sometimes cannot relate, or sometimes just cannot stomach some of the details of a call.
I guess you could say, we are a Family in a sense. We live with each other 24 hours at a time in a ‘house’. We know what each others likes and dislikes are, who doesn’t like mushrooms, salads, or blue cheese dressing! Who sleeps more, or less. Who sleeps quietly, who snores, and who gets up 4 times a night to pee! (sorry for that one) 😉
So, you see, I am Blessed by GOD to have TWO families; my blood family and my Fire family! Come hang out with me some more and there will be more about my Helmets in later posts. I’ll talk about how it is to be a female in this male dominated field and how I cope with the dynamics of the Firehouse.
Until next time! Be safe and be Blessed!
It’s awesome that you moved into a male dominated field and crushed it. My wife and I both spent over 30 years in law enforcement. She started before me and before we met. She spent a great deal of that time as detective, mostly narcotics. She was always respected for her achievements. Now we are retired. We miss it but we don’t if that makes sense. Now she teaches criminal justice at a high school career center. Women are just as capable as any man. You go girl!
Thanks for the kind and positive words! I respect y’all also as officers, even as retirees! My father was also on law enforcement for many, many years. I couldn’t do it for sure. I’m glad y’all are retired now, the way things are going this day and age. It’s a dangerous job now more than ever; and frustrating for many officers. You have my utmost respect!!